Chapter 63 Chapter 62

The inspection process on the other side of the Pantheon that Langdon was in charge of was slightly delayed by the guide following him. At this moment, he was about to inspect the last alcove, but the guide continued to explain tirelessly. "You no doubt love these alcoves!" said the docent, gleefully. "You know, it's these tapering panels that make the dome seem weightless." Langdon, who was about to examine another alcove, didn't hear a word, but nodded anyway.Suddenly someone grabbed him from behind, it turned out to be Victoria.Panting, she tugged on his arm.Look at the terrified expression on her face.Langdon could only think of one thing, she found the body.He suddenly felt a kind of fear hit his heart.

"Ah, your wife!" exclaimed the docent, evidently thrilled by the arrival of another visitor.Pointing to her shorts and sneakers, he exclaimed, "I really think you're an American!" Victoria narrowed her eyes, "I'm Italian." The tour guide's smile faltered, "Oh, God." "Robert," Victoria whispered as she turned her back to the tour guide, "I want to see Galileo's Diagram." "Illustrated?" said the guide, turning around. "Ah! Of course you two know your history! Unfortunately, that document is not available at all, it is kept as a secret, in the Vatican files--"

"Excuse me, can you step away?" Langdon said.He was confused by Victoria's panicked look.He called her aside, reached into his pocket and carefully pulled out the page of "Illustrated", "What's wrong?" "What's the date on this?" Victoria asked as she glanced cursorily at the page. The tour guide followed again, staring at the document, and opened his mouth wide, "That's not...a real..." "Replicas for tourists," Langdon said, "thank you for your help. Please, my wife and I would like to be alone." The tour guide took a few steps back, but never took his eyes off the paper.

"Date," Victoria repeated to Langdon, "when did Galileo publish..." Langdon pointed to the Roman numerals on the lower border. "Here's the date of publication. What's the matter?" Victoria recognized the number. "1639?" "Yes, what's wrong?" There was a sense of foreboding in Victoria's eyes. "We're in trouble, Robert. Big trouble. These dates don't match up." "What date doesn't match?" "Raphael's tomb. He was not buried here until 1759, more than a century after the publication of the Diagram."

Langdon stared at her, trying to make sense of the statement. "Yes," he replied, "Raphael died in 152. Much earlier than the Diagram." "It is true that he was buried here much later." Langdon was in a fog. "What are you talking about?" "I just saw that Raphael's body was moved to the Pantheon in 1758. Part of this was done to celebrate the outstanding Italians in history." Hearing this, Langdon felt as if the carpet had been pulled from under his feet. "When this poem was written," Victoria asserted, "Raphael's tomb was elsewhere. At that time, the Pantheon had nothing to do with Raphael at all!"

Langdon could hardly breathe. "But that...means..." "Right! That means we're in the wrong place!" Langdon felt himself wavering.Impossible... I'm sure... Victoria ran over and grabbed the tour guide and pulled him back. "Excuse me, sir, where was Raphael's body buried in the seventeenth century?" "Uh... uh," he faltered, looking bewildered at the moment, "in his birthplace." "Impossible!" Langdon spat in a low voice. "The science altar of the Illuminati is in Rome. I'm sure of that!" "Illuminati?" The guide gasped, looking at the document in Langdon's hand again. "Who are you?"

Victoria stood up. "We're looking for a mound called Santi or something, in Rome, can you tell us what that might be?" The tour guide looked suspicious. "This is the only Raphael tomb in Rome." Langdon tried to think hard, but his mind was not listening.If Raphael's tomb was not in Rome in 1655, what was the poem referring to?Sandy's Mound, Devil's Den?What exactly is this?Think it over! "Are there any other artists named Sandy?" Victoria asked. The guide shrugged. "Not as far as I know." "Could it be some other famous person? Could there be a scientist or a poet or an astronomer named Santee?"

Now the guide looks like he wants to go. "No, ma'am, the only Santee I've ever heard of is the architect Raphael." "Architect?" Victoria asked. "I thought he was a painter!" "Of course, he is both. They are all like this, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Raphael." Langdon didn't know whether it was the guide's words or the gorgeously decorated tombs around him that made him suddenly enlightened. But none of that matters anymore.That thought came up.Sandy is an architect.From there, ideas unfolded like dominoes toppling.Renaissance architects lived for only two reasons: first, to build magnificent churches to worship God, and second, to build luxurious tombs to glorify the powerful.Sandy's Earth Elephant.Where will it be?Those scenes flashed quickly in his mind at this moment...

Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Monet's "Water Lilies". Michelangelo's David. Sandy's mound... "Santi designed that tomb," Langdon said. Victoria turned her head and said, "What?" "That does not refer to the place where Raphael is buried, but the tomb he designed." "what are you saying?" "I misunderstood this clue. What we are looking for is not Raphael's burial place, but a tomb that Raphael designed for someone else. I can't believe I didn't think of this. Renaissance and Barrow In Rome during the Greek period, half of the sculptures were designed for funerals." Langdon Mosser smiled suddenly: "Raphael must have designed hundreds of tombs!" Victoria looked unhappy. "Hundreds and thousands?"

Langdon's smile faltered. "Oh." "Which one is the mound, Professor?" Langdon suddenly felt inadequate.It was embarrassing to him that he hardly knew Raphael's work.Michelangelo he could handle, but Raphael never fascinated him. Langdon could only name a few of the more famous tombs designed by Raphael, but he had no idea what those tombs looked like. Visibly aware of Langdon's dilemma, Victoria turned to her guide, who was now slowly moving back.She grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "I want to find a tomb, a tomb designed by Raphael, a tomb that can be regarded as a mound."

The docent now looks distressed. "The tomb designed by Raphael? I don't know. He designed so many tombs. You may mean the chapel designed by Raphael. It's not a tomb. Architects always design the tomb with the chapel." Langdon realized that the man was telling the truth. "Are there any tombs or chapels designed by Raphael that are considered mounds?" The man shrugged. "Sorry, I don't know what you're referring to. I really don't know what 'dirt' is for. I have to go." Victoria took him by the arm and began to read from the top of the document: "You step up from Santee's mound, and there's a devil's den there. What do you think that means?" "Nothing." Langdon looked up suddenly.For a moment he forgot the second half of the poem.Devil's Den? "That's right!" he said to the guide, "that's the place! Are there any skylights in the chapels designed by Raphael?" The guide shook his head. "As far as I know, the Pantheon is the only one with a skylight," he paused, "but..." "But what!" Victoria and Langdon said in unison. Now the docent raised his head and walked towards them again. "Devil's Den?" He muttered to himself, gritting his teeth, "Devil's Den...is that...the crypt?" Victoria nodded. "Literally, that's what it means." The lecturer smiled lightly. "There's a word I can't remember right now. Crypt means basement, if I'm not mistaken." "The basement?" Langdon asked. "Like the basement in the church?" "Yes, but it's a special kind of church crypt. I believe Devil's Den is an ancient term referring to a large burial cave in a chapel...under another tomb." "Is it a ossuary?" Langdon asked, suddenly realizing what the man was describing. The lecturer seemed quite admirable. "That's right! That's the word I'm looking for!" Langdon pondered the word in his mind.The ossuary was an easy way for the church to cope with an awkward dilemma.While the Church honors their best with magnificent tombs in the Temple, those who are still alive often request that they be buried with the family... thus ensuring that they, too, will have a burial in the Church that everyone desires land.Sometimes, however, the church didn't have the space or funds to build a full family burial, and they dug an ossuary—an underground cave near the grave where they buried less important family members.The opening is covered with a Renaissance-style artwork that resembles a manhole cover.While convenient, the ossuary quickly became obsolete, as the stench from below wafted into the cathedral.Devil's Den, Langdon thought.He had never heard the word before, but it seemed apt, eerie, to use it here. Langdon's heart was beating wildly again now.You step from Sandy's mound, where there is a devil's den.There seems to be only one question left to ask. "Did Raphael ever design a church with such a devil's lair?" The docent scratched his head. "Honestly, I'm sorry...I can only think of one." Just one?Langdon couldn't think of a better answer. "Where!" Victoria almost shouted. The docent watched them strangely. "That's called the Ziggi Chapel. It's the tomb of Agostino Ziggi and his brother, two wealthy men who both funded the arts and sciences." "Science?" Langdon said, exchanging glances with Victoria. "Where is it?" Victoria asked again. The guide ignored the question, and seemed to start explaining enthusiastically again: "As for whether this church is called a mound, I don't know yet, but that church is undoubtedly... It should be said to be different." "Different?" Langdon said. "How?" "Incongruous with the building. Raphael was only an architect. Other sculptors did the interior, I don't remember who." Langdon was all ears.Perhaps that anonymous Illuminati master? "Whoever built the indoor tomb has no taste," said the docent. "My God! Who wants to be buried under a pyramid?" Langdon could hardly believe his ears. "Pyramids? Does this chapel have pyramids?" "I think," sneered the docent, "that's too bad, isn't it?" Victoria grabbed the narrator's arm and asked, "Sir, where is this Qiji Chapel?" "About a mile north of here. At the Church of Our Lady of Popolo." Victoria sighed. "Thank you. We—" "Well," said the docent, "I just remembered, and look what an idiot I am!" Victoria stopped suddenly and said, "Don't tell me you made a mistake." He shook his head and said, "No, but I should have thought of it sooner. This Ziggy Chapel, people didn't always call it Ziggy, people used to call it." "Earth Chapel?" Langdon asked. "No," Victoria said as she walked towards the door, "it's the Chapel of Earth." Victoria rushed towards the circular square and took out her mobile phone. "Commander Olivetti," she said, "is in the wrong place!" Olivetti looked puzzled. "Wrong? What do you mean?" "The first science altar was in the Ziggy Chapel!" "Where?" Olivetti sounded annoyed now, "Mr. Crandon said—" "At Santa Maria del Popolo! One mile north. Get your men there now! We've got four minutes!" "But my men are all in place here! I can't—" "Transfer!" Victoria snapped the phone off. Behind her, Langdon stepped out of the Pantheon, dazed. She grabbed his hand and ran towards the row of taxis that seemed to have no drivers waiting on the side of the road.She banged on the hood of the car at the front of the queue, and the sleeping driver sat up straight and screamed in fright.Victoria slammed the back door open, shoved Langdon through, and jumped in after him. "Church of Our Lady of Popolo!" she ordered. "Quick!" The driver looked ecstatic and a little scared as he stepped on the accelerator and the car sped up the street.

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